So Republicans..Whose your guy/gal???

[OzzyKP]

Ozzy: How can we know that? I suspect that he would understand that he can't be House Speaker Newt and President Newt at the same time.

Ironically (and sadly) one of the most discussed 'failures' of Obama is his willingness to let the legislature craft legislation. It seems lots of people, on both sides, want a President who plays the part of House Speaker.

But if you're just talking about the style/attitude of Speaker Newt vs. President Newt, I'd say that his attitude so far in the debates and on the campaign trail indicate that its the same ol' Newt. Now, his dismal style points aside (and my concerns about his stances foreign policy & social issues) he might do a respectable job. Hopefully the Dems hold on to the Senate. No party should get control of both chambers and the White House.

Oh, and after a quick search I came across this ad. I'm not terribly concerned about the substance of the ad, nor am I a Ron Paul fanboy who needs to post everything his campaign puts out, but I'm just impressed by how ridiculously slick and well produced this is. Paul is certainly raising the bar on making ads:

[Mojotronica]

W Bush had a bold, inspiring vision for America's future. He cut taxes we couldn't afford to cut, then he established national education standards and didn't fund it, then he convinced Congress to approve the war in Iraq, which was then bungled. In his second term he took on Social Security reform, a major visionary undertaking, and failed. Then he bungled his handling of Hurricane Katrina and spent the three years of his term playing defense. Then in 2007 the economy finally collapsed under the weight of his unrealistic borrow and spend policy, and he spent a year trying to keep it from utterly collapsing with big bailouts for America's auto industry and financial institutions.

Obama's vision was definitely vaguer, mostly focused around the "change" of electing a Democratic President instead of a bungling "visionary" Republican. He accomplished that. His Presidency has been lackluster through 2011. In his defense, he inherited a big mess and the stimulus commitments Bush executed in his last term in office. He has faced a thoroughly hostile minority Congressional adversary in Mitch McConnell who has used a strategy of obstructionism to undermine any proactive action Obama could take. The GOP is 100% committed to making him a one-term President, and will destroy the credit rating of the USA to that end.

On the other hand Obama's problem is that he isn't skilled enough to overcome that opposition. He's compromised on just about everything that could actually help. As the phony financial crisis of the summer of 2011 played-out it became obvious that the Republicans really are willing to torch the whole 200+ year experiment of our Democracy in order to maintain power. And enough Americans have been seduced by the "virtue of selfishness" to give the GOP the power to tear the whole thing down. And the Democrats are too spineless to stop them.

Will it be self-correcting? I think it will, but only after enough Americans experience real Great Depression level suffering and we see real, actual, bloody violence. Then the merits of collectivism will be more apparent, reversing the 40 year trend toward individualism.

[OzzyKP]

I think the problem is very big and don't think a go-along-get-along kind of politician will give us what we need.

True. Which is why I'm not totally opposed to Newt. Domestically he may be our best bet.

Internationally... **** like this scares the crap out of me:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204531404577054911628578368.html

[OzzyKP]

True. Which is why I'm not totally opposed to Newt. Domestically he may be our best bet.

Internationally... **** like this scares the crap out of me:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...628578368.html

Considering how much latitude presidents get nowadays to do whatever they want when it comes to war, I might prefer seeing Obama back for another term and the Democrats ousted from the Senate.

[Al B. Sure!]

Romney.

[C0ckney]

if i were american and republican i would vote for ron paul. gary johnson seems decent as well, although i don't know much about him.

as for the rest, a bunch of religious nutters, right wing arseholes, and corporate shills.

[DanS]

but I'm just impressed by how ridiculously slick and well produced this is. Paul is certainly raising the bar on making ads:

Newt totally deserves all the crap he gets on this, by the way.

[DaShi]

He knows where he wants the US to be in 10, 20, 30 years and seems to have strategies to get us there. I don't think that any of the other contenders for president -- especially Obama -- have that kind of heft. Don't think Obama has a clue on those kind of things, which is keeping us on an unsustainable path in the medium and long-term.

Examples please.

[Pax]

If anyone is interested you can go to this website to get links and more info on the candidates.

http://2012.republican-candidates.org/

[Pax]

Al/HC,
I noticed you guys are both backing Romney. Do the two of you agree on most major issues or are you backing Romney for different reasons?

[Al B. Sure!]

Al/HC,
I noticed you guys are both backing Romney. Do the two of you agree on most major issues or are you backing Romney for different reasons?

Not insane
Not racist
Not creationist

[Tupac Shakur]

I think he might make a George HW Bush-type President, competent but uninspiring.

41 was the best president of my lifetime.

[Guynemer]

41 was the best president of my lifetime.

ummm... yeah, probably.

That's ****ing sad.

[Tupac Shakur]

You're such an Eeyore; Reagan and Clinton were also good presidents. Things didn't get dreadful until the Baby Boomers gained a stranglehold on government during the Bush 2/Obama years.

[Elok]

I was about 9 when he left office. I remember the Persian Gulf War and...that's about it. What'd he do? I assume he was pretty good if Guy likes him better than Clinton. Then again, I didn't pay much attention to Clinton either, since that was the most self-absorbed period in my life.